Live Breeders' Cup analysis

Zenyatta and Mike Smith (left) come up just short against Blame and Garrett Gomez.

Final thoughts: Crist: "That was a terrific horse race. Blame was courageous in victory and Zenyatta was excellent in defeat. Blame earned the Horse of the Year title on the track, but Zenyatta lost nothing but her undefeated record. Between the Classic finish, Goldikova's victory and Uncle Mo's emergence as the sport's newest star, this was quite a Breeders' Cup." Read More >>

Watchmaker: "Zenyatta might have shown more class, ability, determination, and heart in this one defeat than in many of her wins combined. Zenyatta lost nothing in this race except the win picture. She is still a truly great horse, a champion, and a mortal lock first ballot Hall of Famer. She is also the reason why this Breeders' Cup Classic will be remembered for as long as horses race." Read More >>

6:57: John Shirreffs on Zenyatta's fans: "They were behind her win or lose. ... She fell just short." Jerry Moss: "She's the greatest."

6:53: Zenyatta and Mike Smith put in a sensational run in the stretch but fell just short to Blame in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

6:33: Zenyatta is 4-5 as post time for the Classic approaches. Crist: "Looks live everyone's covered in the pick-6 and there are 54 live tickets -- 24 to Zenyatta at $166,539 and 5 each to Blame and Lookin at Lucky at $800k." Read More >>

6:27: Zenyatta's trainer John Shirreffs to DRF's Jay Privman on ESPN: "All I have to do now is put the saddle on."

6:16: Crist: "I was yelling at the television as they were going into the gate: "How can Dangerous Midge be only a point lower than Champ Pegasus? He should be a third of the price!" Serves me right as I had to wait until the final yards for Dangerous Midge to wear down Champ Pegasus in what was less than a vintage BC Turf following the scratch of Workforce and the poor performance by Behkabad." Read More >>

5:28: Dakota Phone (37-1!) comes flying late to catch Morning Line in the Dirt Mile. Gayego was third.

5:14: Crist: "Triple wow. Goldikova is a great racehorse and her three straight Breeders' Cup Miles are one of the sport's great achievements. This was her 12th Grade or Group 1 triumph, and eight of them have come against males." Read More >>

Watchmaker: "Greatness. There is no other word to describe Goldikova and what she has done. To cross the Atlantic three straight years and win the same Breeders' Cup race over males twice at a warm weather site and now at a cold weather site is incredible. And to do it all with a turn of foot that is truly breathtaking." Read More >>

4:42: Goldikova storms up the center of the track to win the Breeders' Cup Mile and become the first horse to win three Breeders' Cup races. Amazing performance.

4:32: On the track for the Mile and Goldikova is 3-2 as she goes for her three-peat.

Crist: "Wow. Uncle Mo is a very serious racehorse and the most dominant BC Juvenile winner since Street Sense at CD in 2006 -- the only BCJ winner to go on to victory in the Kentucky Derby." Read More >>

Watchmaker: "I especially liked the way Uncle Mo conceded the early lead to Riveting Reason. Whether Riveting Reason was totally overmatched or not (he was) is not the point. The point is, Uncle Mo showed depth to concede the lead to another opponent for the first time in his life while also going two turns for the first time in his life." Read More >>

4:02: Pletcher on ESPN: "I don't get goosebumps very often, but that performance gave me chills." Randy Moss: "He doesn't necessarily have a mile-and-a-quarter pedigree."

3:58: Uncle Mo just minted himself the early favorite for the 2011 Kentucky Derby with that romp in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Boys at Tosconova was second, Rogue Romance third. Another juvenile win for Pletcher.

Hersh: "It's crazy enough that trainer Bret Calhoun, who had never won a Breeders' Cup race before 2010, has gone 2-2 with his BC staters this weekend. But things get even stranger: Both Dubai Majesty, who won the Filly and Mare Sprint, and Chamberlain Bridge, who just captured the Turf Sprint, once were claiming horses." Read More >>

3:38: Video replays for all BC races as they become available: Watch Now >>

Watchmaker: "All year long, Silver Timber has had Chamberlain Bridge's number. But not today, not when it counted the most." Read More >>

3:19: Big outside move by Chamberlain Bridge under Jamie Theriot to win the Turf Sprint -- Theriot's second BC win. He took the F&M Sprint on Friday with Dubai Majesty.

3:03: Crist's pick six ticket is up: "The damage was $3,312. Obviously I can't make heads or tails of the Turf Sprint, as usual, and used all 14 of them -- six A's, four B's and four C's." Read More >>

Watchmaker: "Outstanding ride by Eibar Coa on Big Drama to win the BC Sprint. Coa did the one thing you have to do when you're burdened with a pace horse from the one hole on a main track with a deal rail: He sent Big Drama right to the front." Read More >>

ESPN reporting that Atta Boy Roy is cooling out normally and appears to be okay.

2:30: Crist: "We're seeing in this Breeders' Cup what we saw at Saratoga: An unprecedented domination of 2-year-old racing by Todd Pletcher. In the three juvenile races so far, Pletcher has won the Juvenile Fillies Turf with More than Real, the Juvenile Turf with Pluck, and run second by R Heat Lightning in the Juvenile Fillies." Is Uncle Mo in the Juvenile next? Read More >>

Earlier Crist looked at double prices to figure out how Zenyatta will go off: "If you're trying to figure out whether Zenyatta will be more like the 3-5 she was at the close of Friday betting or her 8-5 morning-line price, the Ladies' Classic/BC Classic daily-double betting would suggest it's the latter."

2:26: Watchmaker: "European shippers looked like they had a good chance to get in the win column in the Juvenile Turf, but instead, their futility at this Breeders' Cup continued." Read More >>

Trainer Mike Stidham told ESPN that Rough Sailing fractured a shoulder with his fall in the Juvenile Turf and would be euthanized.

1:58: And we're off -- Pluck scores in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf under Garrett Gomez for trainer Todd Pletcher, with Soldat second. Jockey Rosie Napravnik was thrown from Rough Sailing when that horse stumbled but she appeared to be okay. On ESPN, DRF's Jay Privman said Rough Sailing had swelling in his right front and would be checked out.

1:20: With about a half-hour to go before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf kicks off Day 2, let's catch up on a chaotic Day 1. Jay Privman's report wraps up the day: Read More >>

Jay Hovdey on jockey fights and racing under the lights: "This was a side of Calvin we had never seen, contrary to the blue-collar hero who has won three of the past four Kentucky Derbies. But then, going medieval on national TV has its upside. "Horse racing," the WWF version, made all the news shows because of the fracas, and Borel's picture was on the cover of New York's Daily News." Read More >>

Steven Crist is working on his pick six ticket in light of the scratch of Workforce -- check back later this afternoon to follow his plays. "Does the scratch of Workforce from the Turf make today's Ultra Pick Six harder or easier? I vote for harder." Read More >>

Mike Watchmaker is looking at the early races and says the outside path is the place to be, not the rail: "If the main track does stay the same, you have to wonder about Big Drama and Girolamo in the Sprint. They break from posts 1 and 2, they figure to be close to the pace, and those type of horses just have not been winning here over the last few days." Read More >>

Welcome to DRF.com's live analysis of the 2010 Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs, with updates from DRF's team of reporters and handicappers covering the Cup: Steven Crist in New York, and Mike Watchmaker, Jay Privman, David Grening, Marcus Hersh, Byron King, Marty McGee, and Mike Welsch in Louisville.

10:20: Friday aftermath: Find all the recaps and video replays of Friday's Breeders' Cup races, capped by Unrivaled Belle's victory in the Ladies' Classic (plus everything you need to get up to speed for Saturday). Read More >>

Marcus Hersh noted the European misfires so far -- Midday came close in the F&M Turf but the $94 winner, Shared Account, helped trigger Saturday's pick six carryover. The average win price on the card was $32. Read More >>

Crist and Watchmaker both discussed the situation around Life At Ten in the Ladies' Classic. Crist: "The ugly story of the race is why second choice Life at Ten was permitted to run. ... [She] was in obvious distress before the race, as clearly documented by Moss and Jerry Bailey. Rider John Velazquez told the commentators that there was something wrong with her." Read More >>

Watchmaker wrapping up the day: "Shared Account's upset over Midday completed a shocking shutout for European shippers on BC Friday. That, the Borel-Castellano fight, the mishandling of the Life At Ten situation, and a main track that favored outside runners were, for me, the storylines of the first day of Breeders' Cup 2010." Read More >>

Back at it on Saturday! Live updates will resume at about 1 p.m. Start studying that pick six.

5:52: Castellano on the fight: "He came straight to me, he was very aggressive, and tried to hit me in the face," Castellano said. "I had to push him away, he cursed right in my face and he went aggressive, and he said I want to kill you and all that kind of stuff." Read More >>

5:09: Result stands. Watchmaker: "That was a pretty weak foul claim by Jose Lezcano on Winter Memories, runner up in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, against winner More Than Real, and I'm glad it was dismissed quickly. I can't make an excuse for Winter Memories, who was a powerful even money favorite in an international field of 14." Read More >>

5:03: More Than Real, owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and ridden by Garrett Gomez, crossed the wire first in the Juvenile Fillies Turf but there is an objection.

4:57:Watchmaker: "Prince Will I Am came out on the far turn the final time, almost dropping Romp, and knocking romp into A. U. Miner. Borel, who rode A. U. Miner, went almost beserk after unsaddling and got into it hot and heavy with Castellano, and I don't blame him." Read More >>

Replay of the Marathon including the move that caused the winner's circle fight [click race name in the recap]: Read More >>

4:30: Prince Will I Am is DQ'd. New order of finish: Eldaafer, Gabriel's Hill, A. U. Miner. In an unbelievable scene, jockeys Calvin Borel (A. U. Miner) and Javier Castellano (Prince Will I Am) fought in the winner's circle after the race; Borel had to be restrained.

4:18: Eldaafer takes the BC Marathon by two over Prince Will I Am. Gabriel's Hill was third. But there is a stewards' inquiry -- results are unofficial.

4:04: Steven Crist posts his pick six ahead of the Marathon: "Okay, here goes. Managed to bring it in at $4,990. ... At least I can't be dead after one leg: Field of 12 in the Marathon, and I've got 4 A's, 4 B's and 4 C's." Read More >>

3:46: If you missed it earlier it's worth checking out Brad Free's Breeders' Cup bomber plays for today's card. "In the Marathon, this handicapper likes Giant Oak, but does not love him. Don’t like Awesome Gem, but don’t hate him. Atoned is the bomber." Currently 25-1 on the board. Read More >>

Meanwhile DRF columnist Jay Hovdey checks in from the Churchill Downs backstretch: "I hit town hearing about nothing but the Kentucky drought and Europeans' concerns over the turf course, which was officially rated 'dry, except when the sprinklers are on.' Standing next to the outside rail on the backstretch as Workforce, Delegator, Dubussy and Utley galloped by late Friday morning, it sounded like a clatter of baseball bats hitting a canvas bag. " Read More >>

3:35:Marcus Hersh with a paddock report for the Marathon: "Just happened to have been down in the paddock on Wednesday when Marathon starter Gabriel's Hill was schooling, and it was not pretty sight. Without exaggeration, I'll say that I've never seen a horse wash out so badly on a cool day." Read More >>

Crist: "My current version of the BC Friday pick-6 needs a lot more whittling: it's still at seven tickets totalling $16,800 including a $13,824 all-A's-and-B's, well over the $5k budget." Read More >>

Watchmaker: "Well, after watching Noble's Promise, Backtalk, and Don Tito run one-two-three after all making outside moves in the third race, the Jimmy V. Stakes, there is more reason to believe that outside runners do have a distinct edge right now on the main track." Read More >>

Welcome to DRF.com's live analysis of the 2010 Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs. Watch this space starting at about 3 p.m. Friday for live updates from DRF's team of reporters and handicappers covering the Cup: Steven Crist in New York, and Mike Watchmaker, Jay Privman, David Grening, Marcus Hersh, Byron King, Marty McGee, and Mike Welsch in Louisville.